Matthew McBride burst onto the crime-writing scene with his shocking and visceral short stories of bad men and good guns. Now his powerful first novel confirms what noir and crime pros have been murmuring online for months—this guy is the one to watch. McBride lives on a farm in rural Missouri with his wife and a bull named Hemingway. He started writing on the assembly line at a Chrysler plant in St. Louis, where he worked for thirteen years. Now he’s a force to be reckoned with as a crime writer. Welcome a new voice that’s raw, wild, and completely original.

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Frank Sinatra in a Blender

A Novel by Matthew McBride

Introduction by Ken Bruen

 

 

 

 

Nick Valentine has problems. He’s a drunken ex-cop who lives in his shabby office, hangs out at strip clubs, and has only one real friend—Frank Sinatra. But he’s one of the best private investigators in St. Louis. So when an inept crew robs a credit union, only Valentine can figure out who made off with the millions.

Sometimes solving a crime takes a hard guy who’s not afraid to work outside the law, and Valentine scrambles through the underbelly of St. Louis looking for answers. With every law he breaks, every drink he takes, and every Oxycontin he snorts, Valentine lurches closer to finding the truth. Or floating facedown in the Missouri River.

Brutally funny, wild, this no-holds-barred crime novel reads like Elmore Leonard on meth. Crazy and addictive, you’ll want more.

 

"Matthew McBride has proven himself a force to be reckoned with and with his first released novel he is one to watch. Frank Sinatra in a Blender is a lot of deranged fun."
– Spinetingler Magazine

 

 

On Frank Sinatra in a Blender

By Ken Bruen


How important is a title? These days, vital. So many books vying for attention and according to the experts(!), a book gets less than five seconds in a display to grab your interest. The cover, sure, plays a large part but it’s the name, especially for a new author.

Take the ever-fascinating title – By Grand Central Station, I Sat Down and Wept. Then and now, an arresting rivet.

Matthew McBride was inspired when he wrote down his title.

I have to ‘fess up. Books sent to me to read as an attachment are not going to be a priority. More like duty so they are already handicapped. I’m a Luddite, I like clocks, mobile phones, people to be:
Simple
Accessible
Portable.

And books:
Nothing
No e-book
Kindle
What the hell ever is going to give the rush of a book in hand, the binding, the feel, the re-assurance of an old friend?

Rod Wiethop, a cherished friend and connoisseur of music and mystery, asked if would read a debut novel. For Rod, sure, but hey, don’t hold your breath, it wasn’t going to be anytime soon.

Until I saw the title. Intrigued, I figured I’d sneak a peek and perhaps, even subject it to the Page 69 Test.

Wallop.
I was hooked.
And got that frisson of being in the presence of something special.
There is not a reader on the planet who doesn’t relish, anticipate, hope to discover a new author, to be there for the very first book.

It’s rare to rarest found. Twice in my experience. Only Jim Crumley and Daniel Woodrell fulfilled that criterion for me. And here was Matthew McBride. Best of all, I knew nothing, nada about the author, so I read him if not cold, at least without reservation. And oh how sweet the growing joy of realizing this was indeed the real deal. Ticking all my personal data in your face:
Hilarious
Fresh
Innovative
And a style so crafted, it seemed easy.

To reveal the plot, the narrative, would be a true disservice. The magic of this book is to read it as I did, fresh and in the dark. Trust me, you will be fully rewarded. This is, to paraphrase a cliché, an offer you’ll be delighted you accepted.

– Ken Bruen Morocco, April, 2011.